Posted on 01/20/2016 1:53:12 PM PST by metmom
"You were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance" (Eph. 1:13-14).
The Holy Spirit is God's first installment on your eternal inheritance.
The Holy Spirit's ministry in your life is multifaceted and profound. Among other things He brings salvation, conviction, guidance, and strength. He indwells and equips you for spiritual service and gives assurance of your salvation. He is your Helper and Advocate. He is the Spirit of promise, who seals you until the day when your redemption is fully realized (Eph. 4:30).
Sealing speaks of security, authenticity, ownership, and authority. Ancient kings, princes, and nobles placed their official seal on documents or other items to guarantee their inviolability. To break the seal was to incur the wrath of the sovereign whom it represented (cf. Dan. 6:17; Matt. 27:62-66).
A seal on a letter authenticated it as from the hand of the one whose seal it bore. Legal documents such as property deeds and wills were often finalized with an official seal. Those who possessed the sealed decree of a king had the king's delegated authority to act on that decree.
Each of those aspects of sealing is a picture of the Spirit's ministry. He is God's guarantee that your salvation is inviolable and that you are an authentic member of His kingdom and family. You are His possession-having been purchased with His Son's precious blood (1 Cor. 6:20). You are His ambassador with delegated authority to proclaim His message to a lost world (2 Cor. 5:20).
The Spirit is the pledge of your eternal inheritance (Eph. 1:14). The Greek word translated "pledge" in that verse (arrabon) was used of down payment or earnest money given to secure a purchase. Rejoice in the assurance that God, who cannot lie (Titus 1:2), has given you His Spirit as a guarantee that He will keep His promises.
Suggestions for Prayer
Praise God for the security of your eternal inheritance. Praise the Spirit for His many ministries in your life. Be sensitive to His leading today so that your ministry to others will be powerful and consistent with His will.
For Further Study
Read Esther chapters 3, 8. What role did the king's signet ring play in the decree of Haman (chapter 3)? The decree of Ahasuerus and Mordecai (chapter 8)?
Bravo! That’s a really good one!
GMTA!
My feeling is, when the rapture, that they don't believe is going to happen, happens, the babies, and those who haven't reached the age of accountability will go too. That is just my feeling. We may not even know for sure.
Could there be a potential for disaster? Again, who knows? All I can say is, remember how many people were killed in the Flood, but we just DON'T know.
I think God is going to act the way He is going to act, and He doesn't have to justify it to anyone.
:-)
Agreed Brother, we just don’t know exactly. But the Bible clearly shows a Rapture event, yet catholics who have been taught to disbelieve will make up weird scenarios in which the middle possibilities are un thought of and only an extremely mean god acts. This like making an excuse they can cite as evidence there will never be a snatching away. And you were so correct in citing the flood days ... but don’t expect catholics to comprehend that clarity.
Yes, we DON'T know exactly how the rapture will go down, but it WILL go down.
Remember, God ordered the complete destruction of the Amalekites, and other groups, every man, woman and child was to be killed off. They were to kill all of them, to avoid problems later on. They failed to do that, and of course, had big problems later.
God's ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. We can not always understand why He does things.
Dreaming up ridiculous scenarios, to justify unbelief, however, won't cut the mustard.
Pride will always justify itself.
And it will always go before the fall.
Let’s keep the thread going :-)
To do what???He consecrated bread and wine and told His apostles to DO THIS.....why is irrelevant
Matthew 26:26-27
While they were at table Jesus took bread an blessed it and broke it, and gave it to His disciples saying Take, eat, this is My body. Then He took the cup, and offered thanks, and gave it to the saying drink all of you of this for this is my blood.
How much clearer could He have been?????
Then He instructed them to .......DO THIS>>>>>>>>in His memory......THIS is transubstantiation.....what else???
O.K. you have hundreds of millions, if not billions of people being snatched up, all over the world, and disappearing to Heaven....I surmised that an airliner, full of innocent people loses its pilot and crashes into a school.....Well lets say it's not a school, lets say it's the World trade center, or the Sears building in Chicago (coming in to O'Hare airport)...same thing, would a merciful God EVER allow that to happen in His name?????? I think not.
Yes He did.
WOW, right out of the 1830's and Cotton Mather. John Darby explains it all and the Schofield reference Bible clears it up.....talk about making up your own belief system.....sheesh!!!!!
So the jesus of your religion would perform transubstantiation on bread and wine so that his disicples could then be in violation fot he Law, prior to the cross. Riiight ... did you get that one from the magicsteeringthem? Or did your catholic tainted brain come up with that reasoning?
Not one soul on earth is truly innocent.
Was God being merciful when He sent the Flood?
Or don’t you believe that is true either?
When the Tribulation comes, it’s time for God’s judgement. The time for mercy is over. Everyone left has had the chance and rejected it. Now it’s time to face the music.
And you realize, don’t you, that those of us who believe in the rapture of the church consider that babies and children under the age of accountability are taken, so there won’t be any children to be killed in your implausible scenarios.
Do learn what you’re talking about before shooting off your mouth.
Aw, come on now, what fun would that be? The fox paws are amusing, at least.
Obviously, I disagree with the false doctrine of trans sub whatever it's called.
What makes it irrelevant, is that you said it was not necessary, that only some Mary dogmas were necessary. Therefore, I will reject it, as not being necessary, along with penance, holy orders, and all the other things you said were not necessary.
Of course, you can believe all that stuff if you want. I don't, and I have assurance of salvation. Maybe you don't. Oh well, such is life. Maybe we will have to wait to see who ends up in the good place, and who ends up in the, shall we say, the not so good place.
By the way, you conveniently ignored my question. My opinion is, you do lots of that. Paraphrasing it, it appears you said, I was right to hate the Christians (Navigators) If that is not what you meant, say so. If that IS what you meant, do you harbor any ill will toward them, the way I used to? Inquiring minds want to know.
Your skill is improving with practice.
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